DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(4) because reference characters "180a/180b" (Fig.10) and "156a/156b" (Fig.13) have both been used to designate the first protruding portion and the second protruding portion. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(4) because reference character “156a” has been used to designate both a blade support member and a first protruding portion. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(4) because reference character “156b” has been used to designate both a blade member member and a second protruding portion. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 1 recites inter alia, “wherein, by an engagement between the first side surface of the recessed portion and the first protruding portion of the frame body, the support member is restricted from being moved relative to the frame body in a direction from the second side surface toward the first side surface in the direction of the rotation axis,
wherein, by engagement between the second side surface of the recessed portion and the second protruding portion of the frame body, the support member is restricted from being moved relative to the frame body in a direction from the first side surface toward the second side surface in the direction of the rotation axis”.
Claims 1-9, 11, and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention. The Office finds no description of these features in the originally filed specification. As best understood from the drawings, if a force was applied to the support member 156a in a direction from the second side surface toward the first side surface in the direction of the rotation axis (right-to-left in Fig.11), first regulating surface 171a would move away from the first protruding portion 180a and therefore not restricted by engagement. Likewise, if a force was applied to the support member 156a in a direction from the first side surface toward the second side surface in the direction of the rotation axis (left-to-right in Fig.11), second regulating surface 171b would move away from the second protruding portion 180a and also not restricted by engagement.
Claims 1-9 and 11-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. For the same reasons explained above, the scope of the claims is unclear. For the purpose of examination over prior art, in the interest of compact prosecution, these features are interpreted as engagement between the first side surface and the first protruding portion restricting movement of the support member in a direction from the first side surface toward the second side surface and engagement between the second side surface and the second protruding portion restricting movement of the support member in a direction from the second side surface toward the first side surface.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim(s) 1, 2, 4-6, 9 and 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 11,774,876 to Fukasawa et al.
Fukasawa teaches:
(claim 1) A developing apparatus comprising:
a frame body (120) having a storage chamber for storing developer, and provided with an opening portion communicating with the storage chamber;
a developing roller (106) disposed in a manner facing the opening portion, and supported rotatably by the frame body about a rotation axis;
a regulating unit (130) regulating a layer thickness of the developer borne on an outer circumferential surface of the developing roller, with the regulating unit (130b) including a sliding member coming into sliding contact with the outer circumferential surface of the developing roller, and a support member (130a) for supporting the sliding member; and
a sealing member (Fig.21:HM, HM1) filling a space between the frame body and the regulating unit, the space being provided at a first end of the frame body in a direction (Y) of the rotation axis,
wherein the support member has a recessed portion (131, Fig.14) that is recessed in a direction (X) intersecting with the rotation axis, and that is provided at an end of the support member on the same side as the first end of the frame body, in the direction of the rotation axis, the recessed portion being constituted by surfaces including a first side surface and a second side surface of the support member that extend in the direction intersecting with the rotation axis,
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wherein the frame body includes a first protruding portion (see right-pointing arrow in expanded element 1210 beside) and a second protruding portion (see left-pointing arrow in expanded element 1210 beside) (i) that are aligned in the direction of the rotation axis between the first side surface and the second side surface with a gap (see up-pointing arrow in expanded element 1210 beside) between the first protruding portion and the second protruding portion in the direction of the rotation axis, and (ii) that protrude in a direction (Z) intersecting with the rotation axis (Fig.15),
wherein, by an engagement between the first side surface of the recessed portion and the first protruding portion of the frame body, the support member is restricted from being moved relative to the frame body in a direction from the second side surface toward the first side surface in the direction of the rotation axis (Fig.15),
wherein, by engagement between the second side surface of the recessed portion and the second protruding portion of the frame body, the support member is restricted from being moved relative to the frame body in a direction from the first side surface toward the second side surface in the direction of the rotation axis (Fig.15), and
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[AltContent: arrow]wherein the space communicates with the outside of the frame body through the gap (see extension of HM indicated by solid arrow in annotated Fig.21 below).
(claim 2) The developing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the space is filled with the sealing member (portion HM1) through the gap.
(claim 4) The developing apparatus according to according to claim 1, wherein the support member includes: a first support portion fixed to the frame body and extending in a first direction (Z) intersecting with the rotation axis; and a second support portion extending in a second direction (X) intersecting with both of the rotation axis and the first direction from one end of the first support portion in the first direction (Fig.14);
wherein the sliding member (130b) is attached to the first support portion in a manner protruding in the first direction from another end of the first support portion in the first direction (Fig.14),
wherein the recessed portion (131) is provided, in a manner recessed in the second direction (X), to an end of the second support portion opposite to an end at which the second support portion is continuous with the first support portion (Fig.14), and
wherein the first protruding portion and the second protruding portion protrude farther outward than the second support portion with respect to the frame body in the first direction (Z) (Fig.5).
(claim 5) The developing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the first protruding portion and the second protruding portion extend in the first direction (Z) from a position farther outward than the second support portion with respect to the frame body to a position closer to the space than the second support portion (Fig.14).
(claim 6) The developing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein, as viewed in a direction orthogonal to the rotation axis, the gap at least partially overlaps an end of the sliding member, the end being located on the same side in the direction of the rotation axis as the first end of the frame body (Fig.14 in view of Fig.17: HM1 overlaps the screw 118 and support member positioning portion 1210).
(claim 9) The developing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a first sealing member (160) provided along the direction of the rotation axis so as to seal a region between a downstream region of an edge of the opening portion in a rotating direction of the developing roller and the support member of the regulating unit; and a second sealing member (400) provided in a region outside the opening portion in the direction of the rotation axis and extending along the rotating direction of the developing roller, the second sealing member coming into sliding contact with an end of the outer circumferential surface of the developing roller in the direction of the rotation axis, wherein the gap at least partially overlaps with the second sealing member as viewed in a direction orthogonal to the rotation axis (Fig.15, Fig.21).
(claim 11) A cartridge attachable to and detachable from an apparatus main body of an image forming apparatus, the cartridge comprising: an image bearing member; and the developing apparatus according to claim 1.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 08/07/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Applicant point to the features of claim 1 that they believe to be allowable and state that the cited art fails to teach these features. The Office respectfully disagrees and the rejection has been presented above with enhanced details on the interpretation of Fukasawa.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim(s) 3, 7, 8 and 12 are not currently subject to a prior art rejection, but allowable subject matter cannot be determined due to the impact that possible amendments relating to rejections under 35 U.S.C. 112 may have on the claim meaning and scope.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ARLENE HEREDIA whose telephone number is (571)272-8393. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 9:30-5:30.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Stephanie Bloss can be reached at (571) 272-3555. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Arlene Heredia Ocasio/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2852
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